TY - JOUR
T1 - Kant’s Prudential Theory of Religion
T2 - The Necessity of Historical Faith for Moral Empowerment
AU - Palmquist, Stephen R.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/6
Y1 - 2015/6
N2 - Given his emphasis on deontological ethics, Kant is rarely regarded as a friend of prudence. For example, he is often interpreted as an opponent of so-called “historical faiths” (i.e., empirical religious traditions). What typically goes unnoticed is that in explaining the legitimate (indeed, indispensable) role of historical faiths in the moral development of the human race, Kant appeals explicitly to their prudential status. A careful examination of Kant’s main references to prudence demonstrates that the prudential status of historical faith is the key to understanding both its limitations (as merely the vehicle of true religion, not its essential core) and its real value (as a necessary means of moral empowerment). The wise person adopts some form of historical faith, because to abandon any and all prudential appeals to a faith-based vehicle for morality would render the goal of living a good life virtually impossible for embodied beings to achieve.
AB - Given his emphasis on deontological ethics, Kant is rarely regarded as a friend of prudence. For example, he is often interpreted as an opponent of so-called “historical faiths” (i.e., empirical religious traditions). What typically goes unnoticed is that in explaining the legitimate (indeed, indispensable) role of historical faiths in the moral development of the human race, Kant appeals explicitly to their prudential status. A careful examination of Kant’s main references to prudence demonstrates that the prudential status of historical faith is the key to understanding both its limitations (as merely the vehicle of true religion, not its essential core) and its real value (as a necessary means of moral empowerment). The wise person adopts some form of historical faith, because to abandon any and all prudential appeals to a faith-based vehicle for morality would render the goal of living a good life virtually impossible for embodied beings to achieve.
KW - mmanuel Kant
KW - Historical Faith
KW - Prudence
KW - Moral Religion
KW - Religion within the Bounds of Bare Reason
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85033599069&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5281/zenodo.18505
DO - 10.5281/zenodo.18505
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85033599069
SN - 2386-7655
VL - 1
SP - 57
EP - 76
JO - Con-textos Kantianos
JF - Con-textos Kantianos
ER -